Boy with cancer throws opening pitch on dream mound
15:22 JST, August 29, 2022
Kanta Utsunomiya, 11, who joined the Chiba Lotte Marines through a charity that supports children undergoing medical long-term treatment, threw out the first pitch before a game against the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles at Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba on Sunday.
Utsunomiya, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 4 years old and is still undergoing treatment, joined the team in June through the NPO Being ALIVE Japan. He took to the mound in a uniform with the number 10 on the back and threw a no-bounce pitch.
“I was nervous the whole time and my hands were shaking, but I was able to throw the pitch on the fly because I practiced a lot for today,” he said.
"Sports" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Yomiuri Giants, Hanshin Tigers to Face Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers; MLB Opener Games Cubs-Dodgers to be held on March 18, 19
-
Orioles Sign Veteran RHP Tomoyuki Sugano to a 1-Year Contract after His MVP Season in Japan
-
Olympic Champ Kitaguchi Wins Top Prize at Japan Sports Awards
-
Norris Nabs Nippon Series; Kanaya Claims Money Crown
-
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Watches from a Private Viewing Section; Rui Hachimura Scores 23 Points, Lakers Roll past Trail Blazers 107-98 to End 3-game Skid
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan’s Kansai Economic Delegation Meets China Vice Premier, Confirm Cooperation; China Called to Expand Domestic Demand
- Core Inflation in Tokyo Accelerates in November
- Yomiuri Stock Index to Launch in March; 333 Companies to be Equally Weighted
- Yomiuri 333 Stock Index Raises Investor Expectations in Japan; Equal Weighting To Provide New Perspective
- China to Test Mine for Rare Metals Off Japan Island; Japan Lagging in Technologies Needed for Extraction